CAKTAL. 



< ANTKRBUKY. 



301 



tar eon and otlMr farm product The valleys, which nuliat- 

 in all directions from the mountain-knot of Uw Plotnb-du-Canial, are 

 picUuwqu* and beautiful in UM extreme, abounding in woods, 



Mini . water*, an J bold cascades, and strewed with neat villages, 



which ! clustered round UM parUh church, or sheltered by a lofty 

 precipice or aoDM ancient castle. Th* moiioUiui of CanUl form part 

 of to. watenhed between UM Allier and UM Loin on UM north-east, 

 and of UM Dordogne on UM west, and UM Lot on UM aoutb. The 

 KIM. which receives UM Seutoire, rim on UM northern aide of Plomb- 

 du Cental, and flow* north west into UM Dordogne. The Cera root 

 in lU south-western slopes, and receiring the Jorttanne a little below 

 AunlUc flow* west on iu way to join UM Dordogne, which form* for 

 several mile* UM boundary of the department on the north-west 

 The dream* springing from the aouth and south-east of the central 

 group flow into the Truyere, which ruing in the mountains of Lozere, 

 and flowing 6rt eastward, then toward* the north, enter* the depart- 

 ment of Cantal, crones it to westward, then turns south-west, and 

 fa) U into the Lot near Entraiguea in the depart meut of A veyron. The 

 Aritirm rise* on the eastern aide, receives several small streams, and 

 flowing north-north-east falls into the Allier. In the south-west of 

 the department rise* the Celle, a feeder of the Lot, which river flows 

 for a short distance along the extreme aouth of the department 

 Several of the** rivers flow through very deep ravines, the precipi- 

 tous sides of which show the different layers of lava and othor strata 

 through which the waters have worn their way. All of them abound 

 in laxailiii, have great rapidity of descent, and are consequently not 

 navigable. 



To the south and west of the great mountain range the department 

 has a tolerably mild climate ; to the north and east the climate is leas 

 genial ; all the central and higher portion of the department has a 

 rude climate and a long dreary winter. The department is subject 

 to terrible hurricanes ; those that occur in the winter, called ' ecirs,' 

 are especially fearful, as they sweep the snow before them, fill up the 

 narrow valleys, and bury the houses beneath the drift. 



The department contains 1,279,481 acres. Of this surface 547,789 

 ores are mountain pasture, 157,765 forest and woodland, and 255,834 

 Mr** heaths and moors. The arable portion, which hardly exceeds 

 400,000 acre*, consist* generally of a very light and stony soil, and 

 does not produce bread -stuff* sufficient for the consumption. Very 

 little wheat is grown or used ; the chief crops are rye, buckwheat, 

 barley, hemp, flax, and oleaginous plant*. Chestnut* are abundant, 

 and in come districts form the principal part of the food of the 

 people; in other district* pea* and lentil* are used as food. The 

 excellent mountain pastures form the main source of the wealth of 

 the department. The number of horned cattle reared for exportation 

 and for the purpose of making butter and cheese is very great. As 

 much a* 50,000 quintals of cheese are annually made. Horse* are 

 numerous ; they are small in size, but hardy : mules are much used 

 as beast* of burden. Sheep are very numerous, and in high repute 

 for the goodness of their wool In mineral wealth the department is 

 rich; copper, iron, lead, sulphur, alum, antimony, coal, limestone, 

 slate, granite, Ac., are found, but the only mine worked is one of coal. 

 The number of mineral and hot springs is very great The manu- 

 facturing industry of the department is of little importance ; it is 

 confined to the making of lace, copper vessels, coarse stuffs, glue, and 

 leather. At the end of autumn many of the population emigrate to 

 Paris and other part* of France, where they find employment as 

 porters, water-carriers, tinkers, and handicraftsmen, returning home 

 in the spring of the following year, or in some instances after an 

 interval of several years, for the inhabitant* are strongly attached to 

 their poor, wild, but highly picturesque country. The mountainous 

 nature of its surface, and the want of roads, canals, and navigable 

 rivers present great obstacles to the development of the trade of the 

 department, which consists in the exportation of it* cattle and agri- 

 cultural product*, and in the importation of corn, wine, oil, salt, 

 metals, and cloth. 



The department is divided into four arrondissementa, which, with 

 their subdivisions and population, are as follows : 



Of the first arrnndlasenmut, and of the whole departm. 

 town i* Ai aiu.*c. A.-CWiim, a few miles N. from Aurillac, has a 

 population of S048. St.- Ham*, 11 miles from Aurillac, has a fine old 

 oasUe, an ancient church, and a population of 2000. Mauri, 25 miles 

 &aW. from Aurillac. stand* in the beautiful valley of Arcambie, 

 which is watered by the Ranee, a feeder of the Celle : population 3000. 

 Ffa ew On s>aail> near the bead of the fin* valley of the Cere, which 

 extends far up the south flank of the Ilomb-du-Cantal : the popu- 

 lation is 2000, but this number i* doubled from June to October by 

 the numbers who resort to the mineral water*. 



In the second arrondissement the chief town i* tfanriat, which has 



a college, a tribunal of first instance, and a population of 3400. The 

 most remarkable building is the ancient church of Notre-Dame-des- 

 Miracles, which is adorned with some very curious bas-reliefs. The 

 town is the chief entrepot for the colonial produce, provisions, and 

 merchandise required for the mountain districts, and has a consider- 

 able trade. PUa*r stands in a fertile plain, 10 miles from Mauriac, 

 and has 3012 inhabitant*. Riom-a-ito*tayntM, in which several 

 Human remain* have been found, i* 19 miles from Mauriac, and ha* 

 2400 inhabitant*. 



Ill the third arrondiaaement the chief town is Mural, which U an 

 ill-built place on the right bank of the Alagnou, with 2700 inhabitants. 

 It ha* a college and tribunal of first instance. The neighbourhood of 

 this town is moat interesting to thn geologist for the many evi.lom.-e* 

 it present* of violent volcanic action. AUanclte, a small well-Mult 

 town, 9 miles N.E. from Murat, ha* a handsome church, an old castle, 

 and 2605 inhabitant*. Marcenat, 10 mile* M. from Murat, has a 

 ferruginous spring and a population of 2664, including the whole 

 commune. 



Of the fourth arrondissemeut the chief town i* St.- flour, formerly 

 the capital of Haute-Auvergne, which stands on a high plateau formed 

 by a mass of basaltic rock, presenting on three sides steep precipices, 

 and joined to the neighbouring high laud of Ploucse by a narrow 

 isthmus which is handsomely laid out as a promenade. A part of the 

 town stands at the foot of this rock, and communicates with the 

 upper town by a winding road cut in the rock. Through this part of 

 the town the road from Paris to Perpignan runs. Tho streets of 

 St.-Flour are narrow ; the house* are built of basalt and lava and 

 covered with tiles. The chief building is the cathedral. The town 

 is the aeat of a bishop, has an ecclesiastical seminary, a college, 

 tribunals of first instance and of commerce, and a population of 5254. 

 The assize court of the department is held here. Ckawtei-Aigua, 

 15 miles S. by W. from St-Flour, is fatuous for its hot mineral springs, 

 from which it derives its name. It is situated in a gorge of the 

 mountains, and has a population of 2476. The waters vary in heat 

 at the different springs from 135 to 177 Fahrenheit; in the winter 

 they are conveyed by pipes through the houses of the town for the 

 purpose of heating. The road from St-Flour to Chaudes-Aigues 

 traverses the plateau of Planese, and affords a fine view of the 

 volcanic group of Cantal : on approaching Chaudes-Aigues it is 

 terraced through the granitic rock along frightful ravines, at the 

 bottom of which the Truyere flows. Maniac, 15 milea N. by E. from 

 St-Flour, on the high road to Clennont, is situated in a narrow valley, 

 and not far from the right bank of the Alagnon : population 2200. 



Tho department forms the diocese of the bishop of St-Flour. It 

 is comprehended in the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kioui, and 

 belongs to the 20th Military Division, of which Clermont-Ferrand is 

 head-quarters. 



(Di&ionnairt de la France ; Annuairc pour 1853.) 



CANTERBURY, Kent, a municipal and parliamentary borough, a 

 cathedral city, the aeat of the metropolitan see of all England, and 

 forming of itoelf a county and a Poor-Law Union. The city of Can- 

 terbury is situated on the river Stour, on the high road from London 

 to Dover, in 51 17' N. lat, 1 4' E. long., and ia distant 55 miles 

 E.S.E. from London by road, and 81 mUca by the Ramsgato branch 

 of the South-Eastern railway. The population of the city of Canter- 

 bury, which includes 14 parishes, 2 precincts, and 4 extra-parochial 

 districts, was 18,398 in 1851. The borough is governed by 6 aldermen, 

 one of whom is mayor, and 18 councillors ; and returns two members to 

 the Imperial Parliament The livings are in the archdeaconry and 

 diocese of Canterbury. Canterbury Poor- Law Union contains an. area 

 of 3830 acres, with a population in 1851 of 14,097. 



All traces of the origin of Canterbury are lost in the obscurity of 

 early history. At the time of the Roman occupation it was of con- 

 siderable importance, as is evident from its position at the point of 

 junction of the Roman military roads to Dover and Lympue, their 

 two principal havens. Tho ancient British name seems to have been 

 Durwbern, which in Latin was changed into Durovernum. By the 

 Saxons it was called Caer-Cant, or the City of Kent; whence we have 

 Cantuaria and Canterbury. At the beginning of the Saxon Heptarchy 

 it was considered the chief city of the kingdom of Kent, and was the 

 king's residence. Canterbury is pleasantly situated between hills of 

 a moderate height, the air is salubrious, and the neighbouring country 

 fertile. The city extends about half a mile from east to west, and 

 somewhat more from north to south : there are four suburbs at the 

 four cardinal points. Many Roman coins and Roman and British 

 remains have been discovered in the city and neighbourhood. 



Canterbury in early time* suffered repeated ravages, particularly 

 from the Danes. In 1011 a great part of the city was reduced to 

 ashes. It has frequently suffered by fire, the most calamitous 

 instances of which were in the reigns of Henry II. and Henry V11I. ; 

 but it always recovered from these disaster*, owing to its rank an the 

 metropolitan city ; and the constant resort of pilgrims tended in no 

 small degree to enrich it. At Canterbury was founded the first regular 

 Christian establishment of Augustine, who iu the year 597 baptised 

 Kthelbert, king of Kent, and 10,000 Saxons iu the river Swale. 

 Augustine wa* the first archbishop, and diod here in the year 604. 

 His body wss first buried in the monastery of St. Augustine, ami 

 afterwards, in 1091, was removed into the cathedral. Among the 



